Current Zaurus owner, considering moving to 5mx

[Labcoatguy]

Greetings everyone,

I'm the partially-satisfied owner of a vintage Sharp Zaurus ZR-3500X, bought from eBay for $70. It's been serving my needs for many a month now, as I use it to take notes, serve as my checkbook (with the spreadsheet), write docs, etc. I have noticed that it has many severe limitations, however:

* Screen is too small. About one-third of the area of the top panel is taken up by application-launch buttons, which really could stand to be much smaller.
* Keyboard sucks. It was a major improvement over my old Wizard OZ-630, and I can touch-type on it with difficulty, but the keys are too slippery and have too much lateral wobble.
* 1MB of usable memory is far too little, and with a 14.4k modem taking up the side of the PDA that should be home to a PC card slot (this was long before the era of CF/SD etc), I'm stuck.

So what does this have to do with the 5MX? bear with me.

I've been considering finding a PDA that solves all the problems of the Zaurus, is not much bigger, but still has a touch-typeable keyboard. That automatically eliminated Palms, Pocket PC (Jornada 720 etc have great keyboards, but are far too big), and the new Linux Zaurus. It was by lucky chance that I stumbled upon the Psion page somewhere and somehow. I just have a few questions for the larger community before I make the jump into Psion:

-What is the story with this pinched-screen cable problem? How much does it cost to repair, and about what percentage of long-term users have had it? I ask because this zaurus is incredibly old, yet it has had no operating problems whatsoever, and I would prefer to move to a machine that doesn't present new problems that my old machine doesn't have.
-Has anyone here previously owned a classic Zaurus and can compare the two?
-I've seen a page somewhere regarding problems with CompactFlash data corruption (http://www.skilton.net/5mx/). What are your thoughts on this?
-How well does the 5MX work with rechargeable batteries? do they charge up when the AC adapter is plugged in, or do I have to charge them externally, like with the Zaurus?
-Is it worth the price? I've seen them go for $250-300 ish on eBay, and find that to be pretty steep. Granted, I've spent less that $150 total in my life on PDAS ($70 Zaurus, $50 Wizard, $15 SE-300, which was a waste of money no matter how cheap), but is the jump worth it?

Thanks for all of your advice, everyone.

-Charles

[wanman]

Hi Charles,

I have been a 5 owner (5 then 5mx) for about 5yrs now and have never had a problem with the screen cable. I use it every day so as you can imagine it gets some use. The cable life is really down to how well it was built and how the unit is treated but I don't wish to accuse all those cable sufferers of Psion battering !! www.posltd.com will repair the ribbon cable (including any other none screen damage) for £75 including VAT which ain't bad.

The machine itself is excellent and works with most CF cards. Always best to keep to respected brands for best compatibility. I have run a card up to 250mb in the machine without any problem. The software is second to none and is incredibly stable. You can also install Opera, which will enable you to access the web if you so desire and is alot better then the Web application that accompanies the unit). Keyboard is great but as per the screen you need to look after it if you want to get a good life out of the unit.

Unfortunately Psion have pulled out of the private PDA market so getting hold of these machines shouldn't be too much of a trauma although expect to pay for a good condition machine as owners know their worth. Ebay is the best source for these machines.

If you want to use rechargeable batteries then you need NiMH batteries but these will have to be charged outside of the unit and will not last as long as standard batteries. I am getting about 8hrs or so instead of 20hrs for normal decent batteries.

Software is in abundance and should continue for the time being, especially in view of the Netbook which operates the same OS (ER5).

If you don't neet a machine so big then check out the Revo or Revo+, which are similar machines running the same OS but are smaller and have built in rechargeable batteries. Not sure about CF port though. And they don't get a backscreen light although there is a company who is offering to retro fit one.

Hope this info is of use, but if you need any more then post it here. I include some links to websites for more info.

Regards

Si

http://www.btinternet.com/~andy.nott/series5pages.htm
http://home.clara.net/m-mcconnell/
http://www.silvester.org.uk/

[doogald]

I just bought a new 5mx last month, so I cannot answer you on longevity of the screen cable, etc. I do treat my unit very gingerly so I hope that it lasts.

I have two CF memory cards that work fine with my unit. I have a Lexar 16 MB that is a few years old that is fine, and just bought a SanDisk 128 MB card a few days ago that is also working fine with no issues.

I bought mine new at http://www.expansys.com/ for $293 so I would think that it would be smarter to buy a brand new one than risk getting something used for the same price on ebay. The last that I looked Expansys was still selling them with a 4-5 day shipping delay, though I am guessing that this will not last long.

I never owned a keyboard CE device so it is hard for me to comment on the quality. One thing that I have noticed is that I keep missing space bar characters. When you open the unit the keyboard slides back over the bottom cover, leaving about an inch or so hovering above air with no support underneath - just where the spacebar key is. This part of the keyboard will flex when you type so I think that is why this keeps happening to me.

All in all, however, I am very, very pleased with my purchase. The 5mx does everything that I need it to do in a very compact package.

[Juan G Gonzalez]

I'm a long time Psion 3a User and recently bought a new 5mx from Psion USA under the "Loyaty Program".

Keyboard is the best for touchtype although the keys were a little hard to press in the beggining.

I use a SanDisk 128MB CF for backup and file storage.
You can pack a lot of info there. No problems.

It's best to buy new than getting an used one form e-bay. Resale value is high so that should give you an idea of the quality of the machine.

If you type a lot I recoment to get a desk stand, that stabilizes the keyboard and improves on typing accuracy.

Radio Shack sells an International (Dual Voltage 120/240VAC) AC Adaptor 6V 1A same specs as the Psion Mains for about $20US.

Extremely happy with this machine.

[alexandr0s]

Originally posted by wanman
If you don't neet a machine so big then check out the Revo or Revo+, which are similar machines running the same OS but are smaller and have built in rechargeable batteries. Not sure about CF port though. And they don't get a backscreen light although there is a company who is offering to retro fit one.
Unfortunately, the Revos offer no expansion options whatsoever. Backlight can be retrofitted but at quite a considerable cost. And the keyboard is not as good as the 5mx's. I've owned both machines, and there is no comparison-the 5mx is by a long, long way the more complete machine.
(Of course, wanman is right: Revos are much smaller and thinner)